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The Basketball Federation of India (BFI) has given affiliation to the Maharashtra State Basketball Association on Saturday (July 16). A letter in this regard has been received by the Maharashtra State Basketball Association from the BFI.
Since 2019, the ad hoc committee of BFI has been looking after the affairs of basketball in Maharashtra. In the absence of a full-fledged executive committee, the development of basketball in the region was severely hampered.
The Maharashtra State Basketball Association is headed by Dr. Dhananjay Welukar. Shiv Chhatrapati Award winner Shatrughna Gokhale is the MSBA secretary, while Jayant Deshmukh is the treasurer.
The affiliation committee of the BFI evaluated the documents in accordance with the National Development Sports Code of India and Basketball Federation of India Constitution.
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After evaluating all the documents, the BFI granted recognition to the Maharashtra State Basketball Association for the development of the game of basketball in the state of Maharashtra.
The newly recognized Maharashtra State Basketball Association is committed to development in the state: MSBA secretary Shatrughna Gokhale
The newly recognized association intends to work for the betterment of basketball players, coaches, and officials along with district level organizations. Apart from conducting various state championships, MSBA will be holding a rural development program to reach aspiring players in rural areas.
MSBA secretary Shatrughna Gokhale promised to revive basketball in the state and regain its lost glory. Gokhale told Sportskeeda:
“We intend to take the game of basketball to the rural areas. We will hunt for tall players above six feet in height in urban as well as rural areas. Height is a major requirement in the game these days. We will try to have basketball infrastructure in every Taluka location in Maharashtra. We will then provide equipment and coaches to these remote areas to bring them into the mainstream. We will be having offseason training camps for selected players across the state.”
A former national-level cager, Gokhale stated that they will be organizing a state level official 3X3 championship at district level, then region level and finally state-level competitions.
Gokhale added:
“Our first priority is to make the association digital with a website. All players playing basketball in Maharashtra will be registered and will be given a digital identity card. I request all basketball-loving people to join us in bringing back the old glory of basketball in Maharashtra, forgetting whatever the differences are. I assure everyone that we will take all such sportspersons along with us to achieve our goals.”
Maharashtra has produced several international basketball players over the years. If the association improves its functioning, the game can once again regain its lost glory in the state.
